Did you guys know that veggiegrill has opened on Terry Ave in South Lake Union? I had never heard of this restaurant, now I'm crying buckets because a vegan restaurant has opened literally in my neighborhood a week before I move away. That'll teach me. At least I know where I'll be having my Last Seattle Suppers.

Oh my goodness! This is a huge thread spanning years! I tried going thru it, but jeez I only have a month and a half before I get to Seattle. I'll be there for a friends wedding for 5 days mid october. I visited her last year and ate at Highline and a veggie hotdog place? and a couple others, but would love to hear about more places I can't miss. I'm part of a vegan worker's cooperative bakery known for our donuts so I have to hit up Mighty O's for sure. And also, any tattoo shop suggestions?! I'm definitely planning on getting tattooed while I'm there. And just places in general: info shops, museums, bars (dirty dive punk rock ones), restaurants, farmers markets, hang outs, places to hike, etc. Feel free to PM me! Thanks and for your help, if you're ever in Austin, you can try a Red Rabbit vegan donut on me! :)

The High Dive in Fremont came to mind when I read that. My roommate never comes home from the High Dive any less than intensely wasted. And it's dirty inside. Also, it plays good music, though not only punk.Honestly, there aren't solely punk clubs here. Most of 'em play punk plus every other kind of rock music. Like Barboza in Capital Hill will play great rock music, then great folk the next night. El Corazon is a bigger venue and plays heavier music- lots of metal and butt rock, as I fondly call it- but then plays pop/punk bands that are coming through Seattle, too. The Nectar Lounge in Fremont is a really great place to see local live music, though I wouldn't necessarily call it a dirty dive bar by any means. The White Rabbit is pretty great, too, also in Fremont. I suppose doing a bar crawl in Fremont wouldn't be a bad bet. Or Capitol Hill. Ballard's got more of the folk/country scene.Drinking downtown (Belltown, Pioneer Square) is really packed and overpriced, I've been told. I never have, personally, though I bet you could find a handful of great dingy dives in Belltown. I just spend the majority of my time in North Seattle.

DH and I are heading out to Veggie Grill soon- has anyone been yet? Feeling overwhelmed by all the menu options.

I have been to the one in Portland and I got the crab cakes and they were so good. The tartar sauce was excellent -- considering I hated it pregan. Also, the pudding was too rich, don't get that.

Thanks, forgot to update that we did make it down there a few weeks ago. Honestly, we were both pretty disappointed. DH actually did get the crab cake sandwich thing, but he found it very bland. I got the Buffalo Bomber, and it just seemed to be a gardein faux chicken breast coated in buffalo sauce. Not bad really, just something I could easily make at home, for much less. The same went with the nacho's and the mac and cheese. Don't see us going there again anytime soon, especially if Native Foods ever makes good on their plan to build up this way.

May I please pick your brains? I want to get out of Detroit, at least for a while, and the company I work for has an office in Bellevue that I might be able to transfer to. I have two main questions - 1) can you live in the Seattle area without a car? My main reason for wanting to leave Detroit is that it's darn near impossible to survive using public transit around here. I can't rely on keeping my license due to my epilepsy and anyway I HATE driving in the snow. 2) How expensive is it, really? Can you live on $35k/your without having to have roommates? I don't mind a small apartment in an unfashionable area (as long as it's reasonably safe) but I'm an introvert and don't want roommates.

I'd appreciate any info. At the moment it's just a thought, but heading into a Michigan winter is making even a diet of beans & rice in a 10'x10' apartment with my two cats sound good right now. Thank you!

Oh yeah, you can live here without a car! Even in Tacoma, although, I used to live in Seattle and it was ah-mazing without a car.

Expensive? Yes. But, you can live in Bellevue or Redmond or Kirkland or somewhere else (study the maps) and you'll still be on a reasonable bus ride to work (Kent, Federal Way, Renton etc are also accessible-ish to Bellevue) and have a considerably (like minus $300 a month rent) more affordable place. I think $35k a year without roommates is feasible, especially if you're willing to live somewhere outside of the Seattle proper (it is kind of a small city). My friend lives in Kirkland and gets around very well. Plus, you can always make car-driving friends.

I am from Northern Michigan and I don't blame you for hating on the winters there. Oh goodness do I hate them.

Lots of people survive Seattle without a car. I have one but I prefer to commute by bus to save on gas and parking. Whether or not you can easily commute from Seattle to Bellevue depends a ton on where you're located on each end. Biker boy can get a commuter bus right outside his house that one-buses him to downtown Bellevue, but if he misses it, it's a two bus hop. If you live on the east side, it would be super easy, though those communities have a distinctly different vibe than Seattle does.

It is pretty pricey here but people manage on less than $35k all the time. I don't really know what rents look like anymore, though.

Just to follow up a bit... you might want to look into the Northgate area of Seattle. There's a transit center there, so there'd definitely be bus access to Bellevue/everywhere. And I suspect the rents are on the more affordable side because it's not a trendy neighborhood (there's a big mall there and lots of retail and apartments/townhomes, but not like "nightlife" so much.) Or the U District might be a good option. There are a bunch of commuter buses between the university and the east side. I don't know what age range you're in, but I'd feel like an old crone in the U District. Your mileage may vary. :P

As far as safety goes, Seattle is a relatively safe city (especially relative to, say, Detroit, just comparing hard numbers!) There are obviously neighborhoods with more crime and with less, but there's not really many places here that I feel unsafe in.

Thanks so much for the info! It looks like the place I'd be working is two blocks from the Bellevue transit center, so that's a good start. It sounds like it's a definite possibility if I'm willing to tighten the belt a little. I'm 38 but mostly feel like a cranky old lady all the time anyway, wherever I am.

Right now I live four miles from work and it's a two-bus, 1 3/4 hr ordeal to get to work via bus and I worry they might cut the second route. And, well, morning lows of 30 in January in the Seattle area? That's balmy! I just need to sit down and really start thinking through how to move cross-country with two cats.

YES! I moved here from the Midwest about a year ago. I didn't have a car when I lived in MN and I don't have one now. It's WAY easier to get around here, plus the weather is so much better for being outside. I imagine that Seattle is more expensive than Detroit, but there are definitely places to live that are less expensive, especially since you're not looking to live in the most popular neighborhoods. I second the suggestion of checking out places on the eastside and in the U District. If you want to do it, I say go for it!

You're going to be saving approximately $150-$300 a month in gas and insurance and maybe a car payment each month. It is always so nice to catch bus instead, if you can. My suggestion? Live right next to a grocery store and you'll never mind bringing home 10 lbs of cans. Around here, the weather is only horrific for a few short days per year and those are often days when work and school are canceled, too.